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Indiana tax season opens

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Revenue (and the IRS) will open the 2013 filing season and begin processing individual income tax returns Jan. 30. The Indiana Department of Revenue encourages taxpayers to electronically file their federal and state return and take advantage of the new Automatic Tax Refund credit available to Hoosiers. The department also will extend its customer service hours to accommodate taxpayer needs.
Indiana freefile Starting Jan. 30, Indiana offers Indiana freefile (INfreefile) for those qualified to file their federal and state taxes online for free. Nearly one million Hoosier taxpayers qualify to file taxes for free through INfreefile!
Taxpayers should visit www.freefile.dor.in.gov to see if they qualify for INfreefile based on the vendors’ options. If they qualify, all taxpayers have to do is click the vendor of their choice and complete their tax returns online. It’s that simple.
If taxpayers don’t qualify for INfreefile, they will need to pay for e-filing their federal and state tax returns using one of many vendors who offer these services.
There are many advantages to electronically filing:
• Faster refunds — e-filed returns are processed in less than 2 weeks, while a paper return can take up to 10 weeks
• Better security — fewer people see your information
• Get more or pay less — e-filing software may suggest credits and deductions you might not have known about
• Better accuracy — electronic returns have a 2 percent error rate versus 20 percent for paper returns
Automatic Taxpayer Refund Credit The Indiana General Assembly passed legislation providing for an Automatic Taxpayer Refund (ATR) credit for tax year 2012.
Taxpayers will be eligible for the credit if they meet the following qualifications:
• Have timely filed (including extensions) a full-year Indiana resident income tax return for tax year 2011
• Timely file (including extensions) a full-year resident Indiana income tax return for tax year 2012
• Owe some tax to the state for 2012 (have a modified state tax liability)
The refundable credit authorized for 2012 is $111 per eligible taxpayer ($222 for an eligible married couple filing a joint return). Dependents are not eligible to claim the ATR unless they are filing their own state tax return.
For more information about the ATR credit, visit www.in.gov/dor/4761.htm.
Hours of operation changes for the season To better serve taxpayers, the department has extended its customer service office hours during the tax season:
• February through April: Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (EST) and Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EST)
If taxpayers have any questions regarding their individual income tax returns, they should contact the department at 317-232-2240 or visit www.in.gov/dor/3392.htm.